[Results and progress of scanning- and analytical electron microscopy in dermatology]

This is a review of the achievements of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and ultrastructural x-ray microanalysis in Dermatology. Eight years after its introduction, the scanning electron microscope opened new possibilities for qualitative and semi-quantitative ultrastructural analysis of human skin, nails and hairs and provided new valuable information in clinical dermatology and dermatopathology. Considerable work has been done on the spatial architecture of normal skin, hair, hyperkeratotic conditions, psoriasis, hair abnormalities, fungus infections, dermal collagen in normal and diseased skin, and the surfaces of cutaneous vascular endothelia. Recently, x-ray microanalysis has been applied for the first time in dermatological research. Subcellular particles, the products of cytochemical reactions and tracer substances, such as heavy metals, can now be analyzed by SEM and STEM techniques. Keratohyaline granules do show a sulfur peak by means of this technique and lipoid droplets fail to demonstrate the peaks of sulfur and chloride. X-ray-microanalysis of ATPase and AChE-reactions in human skin facilitates the indentification and the localization of the reaction product in tissue, whereas the penetration of mercury compounds can be followed more precisely by this technique.